Services, Resources & Assistance for Students with Disabilities
Cornish College of the Arts endeavors to make its programs accessible to qualified students with disabilities (consistent with federal and state laws). Please contact the Student Affairs Program Coordinator to request information, obtain referrals for testing resources or to inquire about arranging for academic accommodations.
Who is eligible for services?
A person who:
- has a physical, mental, or sensory impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities;
- is perceived to have such an impairment;
- has a record of such an impairment, or a student that has an abnormal condition that is medically recognizable or diagnosable. (Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Section 504, as amended)
What services may be provided?
Accommodations: Some services and reasonable accommodations available on an individually determined basis including the following:
- Academic advising
- Accessible facilities
- Alternate education media
- Alternate testing
- Interpreters
- Mobility assistance
- Note taking
- Personal counseling
- Priority registration
- Reading services
- Scribes
- Specialized equipment
- Access to books on audiotape
Confidentiality
Information regarding a student’s disability is considered confidential.
What are your rights?
You have a right to services and reasonable accommodations which allow you to compete on an equal basis with non-disabled students as long as you meet the basic requirements to perform activities of the program or occupation.
What are your responsibilities if you are requesting accommodations?
- You are responsible for your own success in higher education. You are expected to meet the academic standards required of all students.
- Register with Student Affairs.
- Provide documentation of your disability.
- Ask for reasonable accommodation at the college.
- Request services early (at least four weeks prior to entering the college).
Procedures for students with disabilities requesting accommodations
- Schedule an intake appointment with the Student Affairs Program Coordinator.
- At intake with the Program Coordinator:
- Provide written documentation of disability including: diagnosis, description of functional limitations, description of impact of the disability on classroom learning, and specific recommendations for accommodations
- Complete Intake Form
- Sign a Release of Information form (to be used with appropriate service providers/agencies)
- Sign Student Contract for Services
- Discuss appropriate accommodations
- Set an appointment to continue the process after registering.
After registering for classes:
- Bring his/her class schedule to the appointment
- Sign Letter(s) of Accommodation (to be completed by the Program Coordinator for instructors)
- Take three copies of each Letter of Accommodation to appropriate instructor(s) to be signed (one to remain with instructor, one to be retained by student and one to be returned by student to Student Affairs.)
Resources
General Overview
- Cornish Disability Support Services Student Guide
- Disability Verification Form
- Service Animals on Campus & Comfort / Therapy Animals in Campus Housing
Transition
- Transition from High School to College disability services
- Letter to Parents “An Open Letter to Parents of Students with Disabilities About to Enter College.” Written by Jane Jarrow. According to DAIS, “Jane E. Jarrow, Ph.D. has established a reputation for being knowledgeable and articulate in understanding and presenting the issues of importance related to disability in the higher education arena. She is a prolific author and an acknowledged leader in the field. Her professional involvement in this field spans almost 30 years and includes her long tenure as the Executive Director of the Association on Higher Education and Disability (AHEAD).”
Resources
- Dept. of Justice ADA home page
- Division of Vocational Rehabilitation
- Washington State Services for the Blind
- Resources for Hearing Impairments
- Resources for Learning Disabilities
- Washington Assistive Technology Alliance
